Mid Bird Sprout Mix

29 seeds for your medium sized feathered family happy. Please note that this mix no longer contains Peanuts. They are still in our pictures - but we took them out of the mix because so many of you asked us to do so. All Bird Mix seeds come from sources which are certified organic.

Growing Basics

The amount of time your seeds should soak in cool water. Soaking is how we begin the sprouting process in most cases.

Rinse / Drain

2 times per day

How often your seeds should be watered. Rinsing thoroughly and then draining as much water as possible are key components to growing great sprouts.

Harvest

2 - 3 days

The time it takes to grow a finished Sprout, or other crop (Micro-Greens, Grass, Greens) from a dry Seed. Note: This "finished" Sprout is our preference. you may grow them for as long as you want! In fact, we suggest that you taste them at every rinse to discover when you like them best.

Yield

1.75 to 1

The amount of Sprouts, Grass, Greens or Micro-Greens produced by 1 unit of Seed. For Example 2:1 means that 1 pound of Seed will produce 2 pounds of Sprouts or whatever crop you are growing. You do not have to grow them all at once of course, unless you wish to =:-D

Seed Prep Measure out 2/3 Cup of seed* Pick out anything you don't think should be there (shell or plant pieces, imperfect seeds, etc.) if you wish (we don't). Rinse your seeds to remove dust or debris.

Soak Transfer your seeds into your Sprouter, or a bowl. Add 2-3 times as much cool (60-70 degree) water. Mix seeds up to assure even water contact for all. Allow seeds to Soak for 8-12 hours.

Note: There are some seeds in these bird mixes whose sprouting instructions call for less soaking. Fear not. In the interest of convenience we have mixed all the seeds together - and we can tell you from vast experience, they will sprout quite well if you follow the directions here.

Sprouting Empty the seeds into your Sprouter (if necessary). Drain off the soak water. You can use it - it has nutrients in it. We use it to water potted plants.

Always be sure to Drain very thoroughly. The most common cause of inferior sprouts is inadequate Draining. Even the best designed Sprouting Device holds water, so pay special attention to this step.

Set your Sprouter anywhere out of direct sunlight and at room temperature (70° is optimal) between Rinses. This is where your sprouts do their growing. We use a counter top - in the corner of our kitchen, but where the sprouter won't get knocked over by cats, dogs, kids or us. We don't mind the indirect sunlight or the 150 watts of incandescent light, because light just does not matter much. A plant can only perform photosynthesis when it has leaves, and unless you are growing these sprouts into plants, they definitely are not going to have leaves. Until a plant has leaves, light has little if any effect. Sprouts also happen to like air-circulation, so don't hide your sprouts.

We usually stop here. Most of your seeds will now have little roots. Not all of the seeds are intended to germinate in this amount of time but, as soon as a seed soaks up water its nutritional value skyrockets, its enzymes are no longer inhibited! So know that what you are feeding your friends is beyond compare - Root or no Root!

We think you should consider your crop done when most of the seeds have roots. They are ready to feed! You may grow them longer if you like - experiment to see what your bird likes best.

Depending on your climate and the time of year you are sprouting, and most importantly your personal preference - You may Rinse and Drain again - at 8-12 hour intervals for several days. However - we prefer to sprout only to the point where most of the seeds have sprouted tiny (1/16 - 1/4 inch) roots, which is typically after just 2 or 3 Rinse and Drain cycles.

Harvest Your sprouts are done 8-12 hours after your final Rinse. Be sure to Drain them as thoroughly as possible after that final Rinse. The goal during the final 8-12 hours is to minimize the surface moisture of your sprouts. They will store best in your refrigerator if they are dry to the touch.

Refrigerate Transfer your sprout crop to a plastic bag, our shelf life extending Produce Storage Bags, or the sealed container of your choice (glass is good too). Whatever you choose - put them in your refrigerator - if you can keep your flock from eating them all first.

*Seed to Use If using Sproutpeople's Single Harvest Pack - use the whole bag - to get an approximately 8 ounce crop.

These seeds will yield approximately 1.75:1 (you get 1.75 pounds for every pound of dry seed), so in theory you can start with as much as 1/2 the dry seed, your Sprouter has capacity. We generally advise maxing out at 1/3 capacity, until you get used to growing this crop. You can also grow as little at a time as you wish, and grow a tiny crop.

Mid Bird is another lovely mix. This one has 32 seeds - all from sources which are certified organic. Both you and your flock will appreciate its beauty and how easy it is to sprout. As we've said, the name of the mix indicates the relative size of the seeds in that mix. Our avian advisors assure us that any size bird can enjoy any of our mixes. A smaller bird will just take longer to eat a larger seed, while a bigger bird will chow down the little seeds faster.

Please note that this mix no longer contains Peanuts. They are still in our pictures - but we took them out of the mix because so many of you asked us to do so.

If there is anything unique about our current seed, we will tell you about it here. Seed Shelf Life: 2 years. Store in cool, dark, dry spot. Store in freezer to extend shelf life.

Seed Storage

Bird Mixes are best stored in a cool location. We suggest a freezer, but a refrigerator works well too. If you plan on storing it for more than 3 months, or you purchase it during a warm season; you should use one of those cool locations. Also, there are some seeds in the mix which are pleasing to a particular pest - the Indian Meal Moth, which can appear out of nowhere when conditions are right (hot). These are organic seeds after all, so there is no other way to keep your seeds absolutely safe from them, except to freeze them. Consider yourself further educated =:-}

Plants for Birds?

Some folks have told us that birds also like these seeds grown into plants - on soil. And that birds are well served nutritionally by the soil as well as the plants.

If you are interested in growing our mixes on soil we can tell you that they work quite well, and that all you need is a container with drainage.

Follow these directions if you wish to grow our Bird Mixes into plants:

Sprout your seeds as detailed above, to the point that some of the seeds show the smallest possible Roots, or better yet, just the hint of a Root.

Spread seeds evenly on thoroughly moistened soil.

Cover the container.

Place in a low-light, room temperature location. (70° is always optimal)

Water lightly every day. The goal is to keep the seeds moist (as with all sprouts) until their roots bury themselves in the soil - at which point your goal is to keep the soil moist.

You may uncover your plants at the point when most have sent roots into the soil, or you may wait a few days until your plants are an inch or two tall. Move to a well lit location to turn 'em green. If you use direct sunlight be prepared to do more watering. Keep them moist. Watch them grow. Water from the side, to prevent injuring the tiny plants.

Write your own review

SO happy you took out peanuts!! We live in a nut free house due to several kids with allergies... we are so happy to find your seeds and so is our bird!

Suzzanne

9/26/2016

My Greys have gotten sprouts regularly for the last 7 years. They will even try to raid the EasySprouter if they're on the counter when it's sprouting! Sprouts provide the kind of real-world, living nutrition that we can't provide parrots in a pellet or even in a varied fresh fruit/veggie diet, and the mid-bird mix helps get a lot of varied nutrients into their bodies. This is what birds "forage" for in the real world. If you've ever given your bird some carrots or broccoli and been dismayed because most or all of it gets tossed on the ground, try sprouts! Keep in mind, Sprouts ARE vegetables, they're even SUPER vegetables!

I like to use the mid-bird mix as a base and add some extra black oil sunny's to the mix - they'll eat all their sprouts but the Sunny's always get devoured first :) Tip: I sprout until I just see a tail poking out. My birds seem to find these the tastiest, and if you're having trouble converting a bird to sprouts, the less "Tail" they see the more they think it looks like a plain old seed - trust me though, it only takes one bite of that plump moist seed before they realize they have hit the food jackpot!

Important Note: Sprouts provide so much great nutrition that it may be advisable to limit feeding to 2-3 times a week as a "main" meal. Check with your vet if you have a concern. High-potency nutrition tends to trigger hormonal breeding behavior in birds because they are at their healthiest to produce great offspring, and that's not usually desirable for pet parrots. A daily diet of sprouts would likely be great for a parrot breeding program and/or egg production.

Jill Klancic

7/30/2016

I recently found your products I'm new to sprouting. The reviews on your site really encouraged me to give your product a try.

Super easy to sprout, my parrots all love the variety.

So glad to have found you.

Sheri

12/3/2015

We feed this as treats to our laying hens. Our birds are average size hens. On cold winter days and during molting, i mix up some warm oatmeal and mix in some sprouts, fresh fruit and a few dried meal worms and they LOVE IT! In the spring and summer it's a welcome snack while I am out gardening and they are in the yard foraging for bugs. They LOVE these sprouts. Nice blend not too many large seeds but lots of variety for a healthy diet. I get excellent healthy eggs from my hens. They are happy and this is their favorite treat right up there with live meal worms! YUM! (if you are a chicken). We ALWAYS have a mason jar in the window sill above the kitchen sink growing sprouts for our birds.

Thank you for such a wonderful product that is affordable enough for us to provide on a regular basis to our little flock of egg layers! Edith, Mary, Sybil, Mrs. Patmore and I thank you!

Sadie

Verified Purchase

4/8/2015

My Peachfaced Lovebird loves this mix. He has Little Bird Syndrome and while it takes him a bit more effort to eat the bigger sprouts, he enjoys every bit of it.

Thank you SO much for giving us this much variety. This is an easy way to get your feathered friend the nutrition and variety he or she needs.

Kelly

Verified Purchase

12/22/2014

Even though they are "little birds" they were not eating the smallest seeds/sprouts found in the little bird mix, so I continue to order this mix. Without fail they go for the sunflower, wheat, and oats first, but they also munch on the other sprouts as well. 48-36 hours after throwing this into the Easy Sprouter I have 2 very happy little birds.

Lauren

9/17/2014

I have been buying these for my eclectus parrot for about a year now. He loves them. The company is great, the shipping is fast, and the seed quality and mix is awesome. The prices are also great for the amount and the variety of seeds. I will never buy sprouting seeds from anywhere else. :)

Melinda

9/13/2014

My newly adopted Blue & Gold Macaw seems to like it. I offered her some of what I grew for the cat and dog and she didn't care for either of those.

Paula

9/7/2014

My three amazons have been on sprouted seed for over 4 years. They are used to the sprouted mixes I have used. For the mid bird mix, they literally would have their beaks in the bowls as I put them in their cages. I add fresh veggies, supplements, and a wee bit of fruit to the sprouted mix. Now, instead of going for the veggies first, they are "beak-down" in the sprouts! Great stuff!

Teresa

9/2/2014

My quaker parrot is fairly young and always hesitant about new things. It was so cute watching her try this mix for the first time. At first she studied it, then she nibbled, then oh boy was she a happy birdy. She sang for the rest of the day!